Defending champion Angelique Kerber needed to call upon all her cunning and experience to navigate her way 6-4 6-3 through an awkward first-round encounter with German compatriot Tatjana Maria on Tuesday.
The three-times grand slam champion has enjoyed mixed fortunes since beating Serena Williams in the final last year, dropping to fifth in the standings, and went out in the first round of the French Open last month.
And it was with some nervous tension that she stepped out on Centre Court, opening the action on the second day of the tournament in traditional fashion as the women’s champion.
The players exchanged breaks throughout the match and Kerber thumped shots long and into the net as she came to terms with her 65th-ranked opponent’s subtler delivery, producing 12 unforced errors in the first set and 19 overall.
But the left-hander was able to match Maria’s all-court game when it mattered, winning the first set with an perfectly judged lob.
The pair served up skilled and entertaining tennis in the second set, Kerber producing a running shot through her legs and, to earn match point, a smash from the baseline.
She finished the match with a thumping forehand that Maria could not handle, teeing up a second-round meeting with 96th-ranked Lauren Davis of the United States.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, American ninth seed Sloane Stephens, who had crashed out in the opening round in the previous two years, breezed past Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 6-2 6-4 in her tournament opener.
Also advancing to the second round were Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who beat Fiona Ferro 6-2 6-0 and China’s Wang Qiang, who eased past Vera Lapko 6-2 6-2. Lesia Tsurenko, the 32nd seed, fell 6-3 6-2 to Barbora Strycova.